Simrad
claims its RS 86/87 VHF to be “the industry’s most flexible
communication system.” The full-class D DSC black box transceiver
can be mounted anywhere and cabled to either a fixed control panel with
fist mike or to a full-function handset. Dual-station capability is built-in,
and four stations are possible with an optional expansion board. Voice
scrambling is another option. Standard features include weather alert,
intercom, selectable fore and aft hailing, and manual or automatic fog
signals. The base unit has a built-in directory that can hold up to ten
MMSI (vessel identity) numbers for fast calling, and incoming DSC message
information can be read and acknowledged on most Simrad plotters.